To ease the increasing urban congestion of this eastern metropolis, a West Bengal minister stresses on the need for a second green lung on the eastern fringe of the city.

To ease the increasing urban congestion of this eastern metropolis, a West Bengal minister on Saturday stressed on the need for a second green lung on the eastern fringe of the city.

"We no more want housing projects along the eastern side of the EM Bypass, the road that connects the city to the airport. There is only one open space, the Maidan, in the city. We want another along the bypass," said West Bengal Sundarban Affairs Minister Kanti Ganguly at a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a housing estate by the Bengal Ambuja Group.

He said there are around 500 bighas (approximately 700,000 sq metre of land) of greenery lying vacant at four areas of Madurdaha, Jagadhipota, Bhagabanpur and Kalikapur near the bypass.

"Keeping in mind urban congestion, the state government can develop this open space as the city's second green complex (after the Maidan) to maintain environmental balance in the metropolis," he said.

"There are some legal implications in these areas, but we are now working on them," Ganguly said.

"We will not allow any other housing estate to come up in this particular part of the EM Bypass. We have verbally shared this view with the state government and we are going to give a written proposal very soon," Ganguly told.

"Projects along the EM Bypass will be targeted for the betterment of locals. We will only welcome social projects like vocational training centres, hospitals etc in this area in the future," he added.

Bengal Ambuja Saturday launched 'Upohar-The Condoville', a new complex with luxurious homes, located off the EM Bypass at Chawkgaria.